


racin' to the top

by GreenMuffinRanger (FuzzyPurplePenguins)



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming Together as a Team, Dino Charge + Dino Thunder Fusion, F/M, M/M, Mum Kira and Dad Conner, Slow Burn, Team Building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 16:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3735766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuzzyPurplePenguins/pseuds/GreenMuffinRanger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Conner and Kira inadvertently inherit Tommy's legacy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	racin' to the top

**Author's Note:**

> Holy moly. It's finally being published.
> 
> I've had this idea for a while, and I finally decided to write it. Thanks to [kyrdwyn](http://kyrdwyn.tumblr.com/) for being my casual beta and [gothmaureen](http://gothmaureen.tumblr.com/) for being my cheerleader. It was really helpful being able to talk to these two when I was trying to keep the nature of this AU a surprise for everyone else.
> 
> There are various things that are unexplained so far, and will possibly be unexplained by the time this fic is all wrapped up. I'm saving those secrets for prequel I hope to write one day.
> 
> The pairings will begin next chapter and - yeah, they're gonna be so slow burn I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself.
> 
> Shitty graphic which also serves as the cover for this story made by me.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and enjoy~!

* * *

* * *

"We're not coming back to Reefside," Kira says.

She's squished on a tiny bench next to Conner, all pressed up against him as they both try to fit into the tiny screen of Kira's tablet, Skype open and running.

"What does that mean?" Ethan asks, voice tiny.

"Sounds pretty explanatory to me," Trent shrugs, and Kira smiles, relaxing a bit more against Conner.

He glances over at her and smiles from under his mass of brown waves. The singer turns her attention back to the screen, pretending like she doesn't still feel his eyes on her.

"I wasn't asking you," Ethan says, a bit exasperated. Kira smiles despite herself at that. The former blue then turns his gaze back to them.

They smile innocently in unison, and that sends shivers up and down Kira's spine.

_Maybe this could work._

"Why are you not coming back to Reefside?" He reiterates.

Conner and Kira turn to each other, nearly in perfect sync, and the latter raises an eyebrow.

"Oh no," Ethan groans.

"What?" Trent sounds half-amused, half-exasperated.

"They're doing their couple telepathy thing again!"

"They're not a couple," Trent says, and Kira makes a mental note to send him a cookie basket.

"Could've fooled me," Ethan grumbles under his breath, and the corner of Conner's mouth quirks up.

Kira sighs, and turns back to the tablet. "A series of...unprecedented events led us to landing jobs here."

Conner snorts; it's the cliff notes version, leaving everything important out, which she did for a reason.

She elbows him as discreetly as possible.

Trent and Ethan both look unimpressed by her answer, although the former white ranger also seems 75% amused by the whole scenario.

"What job opportunities are there for a singer and a soccer camp tycoon in Amber Beach?" Ethan says incredulously.

"Ethe," Conner groans. "You know I don't like the T word."

"And yet, it fits," Their blue snarks back. "That still doesn't answer my question."

Kira glances at Conner, tilting her head in question. He looks thoughtful, glances back at the screen where Ethan is looking more irritable by the second and Trent is leaning back casually in a chair.

"I'm telling you, man, couple telepathy."

The Fernandez's laughter echoes through the tiny speakers.

"They're our teammates," Kira says to Conner.

"Yeah, they are."

"We're still here," Ethan says dryly, and Kira turns back to the tablet, holding it up closer to her and trying to ignore the way Conner scoots closer.

"The jobs we got," She says carefully, darting her eyes across the hallway they're sequestered in. "Don't have to deal with those parts of our careers."

They both look confused for longer than expected, but of course Ethan gets it first.

"You're **_shitting_** me," He exclaims, and Conner laughs as Trent's eyes widen in recognition.

"Afraid not, dude."

"Aren't you guys a little old?" Trent teases, and Kira rolls her eyes.

"Dr. O was older than us," She says.

"Not by much," Ethan snarks, then yelps when Trent elbows him.

Make that two cookie baskets.

"Speaking of Dr. O," Kira says. "We'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell him why we're staying, not now at least."

"We don't want to hear any of his old man mentor crack wisdom," Conner translates, and Kira elbows him again as their teammates crack up.

"We'll stay silent," Trent promises.

"For now!"

Kira sighs fondly at their teammates. "We're going to miss you guys," She says.

"Oh, don't worry, once this thing is in full swing we'll drive down often and tell your charges inappropriate stories from our days."

"Is it too late to kill them?" Kira asks Conner, and his laugh echoes within her mind long after they've hung up the Skype call.

_**xxxxxxxxxx** _

With a quick phone call to Tori regarding her Reefside apartment, and Ethan and Trent already agreeing to pack up Conner's things, all that's really left is to find somewhere to live in Amber Beach.

Dr. Kendall Morgan, the third part to the team - for the lack of a better word - offers museum-personnel housing, but they quickly turn that down.

"I want a place of my own, away from where I'm going to be working for the foreseeable future," Kira tells the younger woman.

"We need our space," Conner agrees, and Kendall shrugs.

"Then that is something you can do on your own time," She says, like she's in charge of them.

Kira feels the slight urge to ptera scream, but holds it down.

"Let me show you where we'll be working, as well as introduce you to another...member of the team."

They follow Kendall into an elevator seemingly ignored by the other museum staff that passes them by, and exchange glances when the elevator starts dropping instead of rising.

The doors _ding!_ open, and Kira inhales sharply as they step into the open space.

It's a large cavern, obviously located underneath the museum, but it's also a lab.

"Ethan would be _so_ in heaven," Conner says under his breath, and Kira kind of has to agree - the computers and technical equipment littered on every surface, the holographic monitoring table in the middle of the room, the mix of both a technological and jurassic feel.

"Kire," Conner grins as the blonde turns to face him, one eyebrow perked. "Dinolair."

Nostalgia bubbles up inside her, and she can't help but grin back. "Dinolair it is."

Kendall has disappeared off into a cave opening, and Kira's eyebrows raise as she returns, with a tall, long dark haired male who's looking at them a bit warily.

The blonde's eyes widen, because she could recognize what he is anywhere.

A quick glance Conner's way confirms her suspicions, so when Kendall says, "Koda, I'd like you to meet Kira Ford and Conner McKnight. They'll be working with us," the blonde steps forward and smiles.

"Hi Koda," She says. "You like the color blue?"

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

Despite knowing the shit they'll get from Ethan, they get an apartment together.

It's cheaper, big enough to fit the two of them with space if they need it, and after years surrounded by her teammates Kira is unfazed by male behavior.

They spend their first night in the half-empty place propped against the coffee table (there's no couch), eating pizza, chips, and drinking soda as mindless reality shows play on the TV the previous renters left behind.

"We're gonna be awesome at this, right?" Conner says suddenly, and Kira mutes the tv - it's on commercials anyway - and turns to look at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be the self-assured red, Con?" She teases slightly, and he rolls his eyes and nudges her carefully.

"Seriously, Kire. We're being put in charge of teenagers/young adults."

"It's only one right now," She reminds him.

"Who is a caveman from a time we can barely fathom, who's a bit resigned and closed off and neither of us are blue."

Kira stares at him, grabs his hand. "It'll be fine. Good thing for us is, we know quite a few blues."

"Blake doesn't count."

"I wasn't talking about Blake, and you probably should **_never_** say that to his face. You count Hunter as a Red Bro, right?"

Conner sighs, and slouches back further, resting the back of his head against the table. "What if we fuck these kids up?"

"You're in charge of like a dozen McKnight Soccer Camps, Conner. Shouldn't I be the one worried about being in charge of kids?"

"Angry older teens are different from soccer kids. And you...you're yellow. You'll be fine."

Kira hesitates, and then rests her head against Conner's shoulder. "We'll call Ethan in the morning."

"Okay."

The rest in silence a bit longer, until Kira says, "This is all your fault, you know. You decided we needed to do something about the dreams."

"In the history of Power Rangers," Conner begins retorting. "Ignoring prophetic dreams has never turned out well."

"Oh, shut up."

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

It becomes increasingly clear to them that Kendall, despite her put-togetherness, clear head, and doctorate, is just as lost as Koda is, but in a different way.

Kira watches them react, perched on a bench in the shadows, and recognizes what's happening.

"Can't believe we didn't see it before," She says to Conner when he comes down into the Dinolair, just back from a dig - one that didn't have anything to do with the energems - in that jumpsuit, slightly dusty.

Conner raises an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

She points to Koda and Kendall - they're sitting, talking quietly, as the doctor combs out Koda's hair for him.

Conner tilts his head as he sits down next to her, watching them with an intensity he likes to pretend he doesn't have.

"Oh," He says, and Kira smiles.

"Think we should have Trent talk to her?"

"And say what? You're a faux sixth, welcome to the club?" Conner says. "Besides, it's just a feeling."

Kira sighs at him, but idly wonders what color Kendall will be.

"I'm thinking purple," Conner tells her, and Kira looks at him, surprised.

(And yet not)

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

A month and a half later, Kira meets Chase.

They've come a long way. Koda and Kendall are comfortable with each other, and Conner's taught Koda numerous 'important' things about the modern day. Dr. O still doesn't know why they're in Amber Beach (how Conner's story of trying to get a McKnight Camp in the area hasn't popped, Kira can't believe; although her 'need to recharge in an area just bursting with potential inspiration' isn't less full of holes), and just over two weeks prior they'd found the pink energem in triceratops fossils.

(Conner hadn't managed to hold back his laughter when Kendall had been telling them which energems had bonded with which dinosaur, and had reached the pink energem. She had looked unimpressed and Kira had elbowed her teammate, promising in a low tone they could laugh about it later while teasing Ethan.)

So, now Kira's walking down the sidewalk, heading to Emmalia's to get waffles and pancakes for dinner for the rest of the team, when a brown-haired boy stumbles out of a voodoo shop, skateboard under one arm and holding a gem up with the other, staring at it.

Kira's eyes widen as she realizes what it is, and she says, "Holy fucking shit."

The boy glances up, and when he sees her, a smirk slips onto his face as he practically swaggers over to her.

"Hey-"

"I am at least ten years older than you," Kira says dryly.

"So?"

The blonde rolls her eyes and gestures to the energem in his hands. "Let me guess, your next stop was going to be to the museum."

The brown-haired male's eyes widen. "How'd you know?"

Kira lifts the chain around her neck, exposing the softly glowing yellow Dino Gem that hung from it.

"Let's just say we've got a few things in common," The former yellow smiles, extending her hand. "I'm Kira Ford, I work at the museum."

"Chase Randall. You know what this thing is?" He asks when they've shook hands.

"Yeah. It means you get a job at the museum, and even more exciting than that, you get to become part of a legacy of elite fighters."

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

"Blue and black. What a way to start a team."

" _And_ purple," Conner leans against the wall beside her, passing over a cup of hot coffee.

"Except she's not yet, nor does she know it."

"But she's such a purple though," Conner argues.

"The only other purples we've ever had are RJ, Rocky, and TJ. TJ and Rocky are technicalities and she's not like any of them," Kira gives him a flat look.

"Well, she's kind of like TJ in his serious-leader-mode."

" _You_ have a serious leader mode."

"Yeah, it's kind of a red thing."

The former yellow rolls her eyes as she watches Chase interacting with Koda, carefree about the fact that he's a caveman from ages ago that is still confused by modern times.

"Here, you have to listen," Chase says, and turns his iPhone on speaker.

"Absolutely not," Kendall says firmly when she hears the rock 'n roll pouring out of the device (Koda, meanwhile, looks intrigued and slightly scared). "You will not play that mindless drivel in my lab."

"Dinolair," Conner calls across the room, and Kendall stares flatly at him, just receiving a McKnight wink 'n grin in return.

"She still thinks she's gonna be pink," Kira says when Kendall returns to lecturing Chase (who is, amazingly, unfazed; he's going to be a perfect black for the team).

"She doesn't know. She doesn't have the color sense we do," Conner flashes his teeth at her.

"Remind me how old you are again?" Kira says, deadpan, and smiles when Conner pouts a little bit at her.

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

"Lunch in the cafe?" Conner asks her two weeks later, smiling as she looks up from where she's going over notes about where they've already dug searching for energems.

Kira checks the time on the clock - 12:30. "Yeah. Should we bring the boys?"

"Kendall's out at another museum working politics," Conner says in response. "So yeah. Let's cause mayhem."

"You never mentally grew up, did you?" Kira asks like she doesn't already know, standing up and glancing over to where Chase is working on his skateboard and Koda is drawing.

"You love it," Her red teases, reaching out and ruffling her hair.

"McKnight, cut it out," She snaps at him, digging her elbow into his side.

"Mom, dad fighting," Koda says from his and Chase's corner.

The Kiwi looks up from his skateboard and smirks. "Do they ever stop?"

"We heard that," Kira tells them.

"I guess you guys don't want to come with us for free lunch then," Conner says.

"Burger?" Koda asks hopefully, eyes widening.

"Yeah, if you want," Kira says, and laughs when he practically leaps off the couch and starts tugging on Chase's arm.

"Mate, don't take my arm off, I'm coming!" The brunette says, then pauses. " _Heh_."

"Dear Zordon he is worse than you ever were," Kira tells Conner, who just grins and winks at Chase.

"I knew I liked you for a reason," Conner tells him as they head towards the elevator.

"Kode, did you hear that?" Chase grins. "Dad likes me."

Koda smiles as Kira just shakes her head.

"We need another girl," She laments as the elevator shuts and starts carrying them up to the main floor.

"You have Kendall," Conner says.

"Kendall's always gone," The former yellow reminds him. "I need a Hayley. Or a Tori."

"A who?" Chase asks as they step out onto the museum floor.

"One of our mentors and a female former ranger," Conner tells them.

"Tori is my best friend, don't you downplay her importance," Kira pokes her red's cheek as they walk into the cafe.

"I thought I was your best friend," Conner pouts.

"No, you're my red," Kira rolls her eyes as a waitress with shiny black hair and a beautiful smile walks up to them.

"Hi Koda, Chase," She smiles. "Table for four?"

"Yes," Conner says, and Kira's watching her closely, because there's just something about her -

"Shelby!" Koda's face lights up. "Burger?"

"Hey, Shelby," Chase grins and winks at her.

"Not ever in your lifetime, Randall," Shelby says with a laugh, leading them through the cafe until they're in front of a booth. "I'll be right back to get your orders."

Kira and Conner settle into one side, while Chase and Koda squeeze into the other.

"When your burger gets here," The black ranger says. "The ingredients better stay on your plate."

Koda looks sheepish.

" _Oh_ ," Kira says, and turns to look at Conner, who's looking back.

"Pink," They chorus.

"Huh?" Koda scratches at his head.

"Shelby's a pink," Conner says.

“Your pink, eventually,” Kira says.

“I thought Kendall was going to be our pink?” Chase asks.

Kira snorts quietly. “Kendall is wonderful in her own way but she’s definitely not a pink.”

"She could be a pink," Conner argues. "Maybe. Just not your pink."

"But Shelby is?" Chase looks unconvinced.

"Trust us," Kira leans back, relaxing in the booth. "Put the pink energem in her hands and see what happens."

Their current two rangers exchange glances at each other.

"Yeah?" Chase asks.

"Yeah," Conner nods, and then smiles when Shelby comes back over to their table, notepad in hand. "Shelby, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Their waitress shifts on her feet. "And you two are Conner McKnight and Kira Ford, in charge of the on-site intern program."

"You've done your research," Kira smiles. "How would you like to go on a dig with us?"

"Maybe join the program?" Conner adds as Shelby's eyes go wide.

"Really?" She breathes. "Oh, I'd love to! Dinosaurs are like my life, I know how that sounds but the triceratops is the _**best!**_ "

Kira gives the two males across from her a pointed look, and Koda looks sheepish while Chase just shrugs.

The former yellow ranger makes a mental note to talk to Will about Chase's unhealthy levels of cockiness before turning her attention to Shelby.

"Excellent," She says. "We'll contact you and let you know when."

The female smiles happily. "On that note, what can I get you all to eat?"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Absolutely not," Kendall says. "No. **_No_** , Conner."

"You put us in charge of the on-site intern program," The red retorts.

"Which is a cover for the Energem Project," The doctor hisses.

"Look," Kira steps in, placing her hand briefly on Conner's arm to cool him down before turning to Kendall. "She's our pink."

"She's a _waitress_!"

"With an immense love of dinosaurs. Her favorite is the triceratops and, she only became a waitress so she could work at the museum and maybe one day pursue a career in the paleontology field," Kira responds.

"She's our pink," Conner reiterates. " _Not_ you."

The lab goes deadly silent as Kendall's eyes widen in shock and Kira winces.

"Damn," Chase mutters quietly, and it breaks the silence that's settled around them.

"He's right," Kira cuts in. "You're not the pink for this team, Kendall, I know you hold the energem every night before you leave. You'll always have a place on this team but it's not as the pink ranger."

Kendall takes a step back and the hurt look on her face quickly disappears, replaced by a mask.

"You're the scientist," Conner says. "We're the former rangers. Respect our decision on this."

The doctor says nothing for a brief beat, then, "Do what you must. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork to fill out."

The sounds of Kendall's heels echo through the lab until she disappears into the elevator, doors sliding shut.

"Damm," Chase says again.

"Kendall hurt," Koda frowns.

Kira sighs and drags a hand across her face. "Nice going, Conner, we agreed we were going to break it to her gently."

"Kire, I don't think we could have," Her red says, though he does look slightly apologetic.

"Nice job, mum and dad," Chase says, and then tries to look innocent.

"I'm going to call Will," Kira decides as she pulls her cell out. "And RJ."

"This is why you're yellow and not me," Conner grins, unaffected by her stare-glare.

Kira just sighs as the boys' snickers follow her out of the lab.

_**xxxxxxxxx** _

That weekend, they take Shelby on the dig for pterodactyl fossils.

Kira slips the pink energem in her jumpsuit pocket as they get ready to go, ties her hair up in a ponytail and listens as Shelby starts in on a rant about pterodactyls, most of the facts ones Kira already knows.

"The pterodactyl is my favorite," Kira tells her when Shelby finally takes a breath. "It's the wings, I think...the flying..."

"Wouldn't that be the coolest?" Shelby says, and Kira smiles, closes her eyes, thinks about it, her Super Dino Mode and the ability to soar in the air...

"Yeah," Kira smiles, half to herself as the museum's loading bay doors open, and Conner and the boys spill out, all in the jumpsuits just like her and Shelby. "It would be the coolest."

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

The dig doesn't go smoothly.

Kira's surprised but not, they've been coasting by just training Koda and Chase and they've been waiting for the other shoe to drop for weeks, for the big bad to rain monsters down on the Earth.

(Because no matter what the dreams whisper, there's always going to be a fight to save Earth.)

"What the hell are those?" Shelby yells as the minions circle their digsite, waving their arms around and chattering.

"Vivix," Conner answers. "Everyone stay back! Kira?"

The blonde nods her head in understanding and as soon as everyone's behind her, unleashes the ptera-scream that's been building in her throat for weeks.

"Whoa," Shelby says as Chase and Koda sprint forward, engaging the Vivix.

"Shelby," Conner says. "We were hoping to ease you into this, but..."

Kira pulls the pink energem out of her pocket and holds her hand out. "Take it."

"What-" Shelby starts, looking back and forth, confused.

"Take it," Kira repeats, and then there's a flash of bright pink light as the energem drops into Shelby's hand.

"Told you," Conner says smugly as their pink starts staring at the energem.

"We **_both_ ** agreed she was pink," Kira rolls her eyes, and then turns back to Shelby. "Your team needs your help."

"My-"

"Chase and Koda," Conner gestures to where the two are getting into it, seemingly fighting flawlessly but Kira can see it, the wear on them.

They're not trained enough for just the two of them, and the Power can only do so much.

Kira turns back to Shelby. "You're a team. You'll be fine. Cover each other."

"You can't release another one of those screams?" Shelby asks.

"This is your fight now, not mine," Kira says. "We'll be there if you absolutely need us, though."

"Go get 'em," Conner tells her, and they both lean on each other as they watch Shelby join her teammates, shining brightly just like the energem tucked into her pocket.

"We should make them necklaces," Kira says.

"Yeah," Conner smiles down at her. "Yeah, we should."

**_xxxxxxxxxx_ **

"Welcome to the Dinolair," Chase says as the elevator doors open. "You're now officially a Power Ranger."

"Did you just -" Shelby starts, but then she's staring at the lab, mouth dropping as she takes it all in, spinning slowly. "Wow."

"Told you we needed another girl," Kira says, nudging Conner softly as Chase and Koda start showing her around the lab, even briefly disappearing into Koda's cave.

"So," Kendall is suddenly right next to them, and Kira holds back the sudden urge to scream. "She bonded with the pink energem."

"I did say it wasn't meant for you," Conner says, and yelps when Kira elbows him.

"Pinks and yellows are the hearts of the team," Kira says. "You're more the mind of the team. You'd make a good green or purple."

Kendall looks slightly placated by this, although her eyes rest on Shelby, a tight look crossing her face before her gaze turns to Koda and she relaxes, just briefly.

"Miss Morgan?" Shelby states, shocked, and Kendall scoffs.

"You expect me to be unaware of a secret laboratory under my museum? No way in hell," She strides towards the bank of computers. "Chase, get your skateboard off the lab equipment, I'm not going to tell you again."

Chase sighs but grabs his board, dropping it on the floor with a loud clatter and grinning when Kendall shoots him a look.

"He needs a balance," Kira says. "And fast."

"Like me and you?" Conner teases, and grins when she gives him an exasperated look but doesn't deny it.

_**xxxxxxxxxx** _

It all falls together barely two weeks later.

Chase, Koda, and Shelby have all just returned from a dig and disappeared into the kitchen. Kira's on the couch, reading a book, when three boys come slipping down the slide.

"Whoa," The one with the green shirt and the blonde-brown quiff says, eyes wide in amazement.

"Did we just stumble into a movie?" The tallest, with a twang to his voice and an honest-to-god cowboy hat on his head, is looking around, unbelieving.

"Guys, look," The last says, with ruffled dark hair and a charming smile, clad in a red shirt. "More of the gems."

Kira's eyebrow perks at this, and she blinks as they all pull energems out of their pockets; green, grey, and red respectively.

She shuts her book, which makes the boys start and release the energems, which fly to their respective charging stations.

"Who are you?" Green asks.

"What are those gems?" Grey wants to know.

"This place is totally cool," Red breathes, and kind of just shrugs when his companions look at him.

Hiding a smile - he and Conner are going to get along great - Kira steps closer. "Welcome to the Dinolair. The gems are energems, and you've bonded to them, and the ancient spirits of dinosaurs, granting you power you would not believe."

"Power to turn you into Power Rangers," Conner says, magically appearing by Kira's side.

"You have got to stop doing that," She tells him.

"In your dreams, babe."

"That would assume I had dreams about you," Kira snarks back.

"What is going on?" Red whispers.

"Maybe we should just let them continue," Grey suggests.

Kira turns back to them. "I'm Kira Ford, this giant goofball here is my partner, Conner McKnight, and you three? You're our charges now."

"Heirs to a legacy of awesomeness!" Conner grins. "Saviors of the Earth! Of the _UNIVERSE!_ "

"Would you stop talking?" Kira tells him. "We really, really don't need you to scare them off."

"Dinosaurs, energems, Power Rangers?" Green says, disbelief clearly coloring his voice, but Red's grinning and a small smile is growing on Grey's face.

"I'm Tyler," Red says. "And I'm all in."

**_~to be continued_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at [thatwritermojo](http://thatwritermojo.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> .


End file.
